Eclipsis (Urú) in Irish

Overview

Eclipsis, called urú in Irish, is the second of the two major initial mutations you need to learn. Together with lenition (séimhiú), it forms the backbone of Irish phonological grammar. At the A1 level, you will encounter eclipsis in everyday phrases from the very start.

Unlike lenition, which adds h after a consonant, eclipsis works by placing a new consonant before the original one. The new letter is pronounced, and the original is silent. For example, b becomes mb (pronounced as "m"), and c becomes gc (pronounced as "g"). Vowels receive an n- prefix.

Eclipsis is triggered by specific grammatical contexts, including the preposition i (in) with place names, the plural article na in the genitive, and the numbers 7 through 10. Once you know the triggers, the pattern is completely regular.

How It Works

Original	Eclipsed	Pronunciation
b	mb	/m/
c	gc	/g/
d	nd	/n/
f	bhf	/v/ or /w/
g	ng	/ŋ/ (as in "sing")
p	bp	/b/
t	dt	/d/
vowel	n- + vowel	/n/ + vowel

Common triggers for eclipsis:

Trigger	Example
i (in) + place	i mbPáras (in Paris)
na + genitive plural	na gcailíní (of the girls)
ar an (on the) — standard	ar an mbord (on the table)
Numbers 7-10	seacht gcapall (seven horses)
an + eclipsis question	an bhfuil tú? (are you?)
go (that)	go dtagann sé (that he comes)
ár (our), bhur (your pl.)	ár dteach (our house)

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
i bPáras	in Paris	i + place triggers eclipsis
na gcailíní	of the girls	Genitive plural after na
ar an mbord	on the table	ar an + eclipsis (standard)
seacht gcapall	seven horses	Numbers 7-10 trigger eclipsis
An bhfuil tú réidh?	Are you ready?	Question particle an
ár dteach	our house	Possessive ár triggers eclipsis
i nGaillimh	in Galway	i + place with vowel-start (n-)
go dtagann sé	that he comes	Conjunction go
ocht bhfocal	eight words	Number 8 + eclipsis
bhur gcairde	your (pl.) friends	Possessive bhur

Common Mistakes

Confusing eclipsis with lenition

• Wrong: i Pháras (using lenition)
• Right: i bPáras (using eclipsis)
• Why: The preposition i (in) triggers eclipsis, not lenition. Remember: i = eclipsis.

Forgetting the n- before vowels

• Wrong: i Éirinn
• Right: in Éirinn
• Why: When eclipsis applies to a word beginning with a vowel, an n- is prefixed. With i, it becomes in before the vowel.

Writing eclipsed letters in the wrong order

• Wrong: bg instead of bp
• Right: bp (e.g., bpáirc)
• Why: The eclipsing consonant always comes first, followed by the original letter which is now silent.

Practice Tips

1. Memorize the seven eclipsis pairs as a chant: "mb, gc, nd, bhf, ng, bp, dt." Repeat until they feel automatic.
2. Practice with place names using i (in): i mBéal Feirste (in Belfast), i gCorcaigh (in Cork), i nDoire (in Derry). This is a natural and practical way to drill eclipsis.

Related Concepts

• Lenition (Séimhiú) — the other major initial mutation, and the parent concept for eclipsis